Find out what makes Drishti Beats a perfect fit for the festival community.

For the past few years, Drishti Beats has brought a combination of chill downtempo electronic beats, live vocals and instrumentation, and vinyasa yoga flow to festivals and yoga classes throughout North America and even other parts of the world. The unique family-centered company Drishti Beats has made waves in both the music and fitness worlds by allowing attendees to join fellow yoga students in interactive classes taught by highly-trained yogis. Drishti Beats seeks to “bring individuals together through the power of music and yoga.”

Since most transformational festivals culminate together yoga and music, Drishti Beats is a perfect fit for the conscious festival culture. Founded in 2014, Drishti Beats is the epitome of a family business: Jeremy and Lori Lowell are two of four family members who actively teach their unique style that collaborates with the musicians throughout the entire Drishti Beats class journey. Drishti Beats recently released their new groundbreaking EP titled Paradise High. Read this interview to find out more about Paradise High and how Drishti Beats is blurring the lines between the fitness and music industries.

SB: How did Drishti Beats first form?

DB:It all started in the summer of 2014 when my husband Jeremy and I were at a yoga festival. We had just started frequenting a lot of music festivals and yoga events. We come from a musical background and were really enjoying the music festival scene and sharing music with our kids. During this particular yoga festival, we were watching a group perform in the evening and I just got this idea about incorporating DJ, live music, rap, beats, and vocals on stage with us while we teach a yoga class. I thought “how dope would it be to develop a really cool music/yoga collaboration.”

The vision was to create music with the musicians, teach and take participants on a musical vinyasa yoga flow journey. I immediately initiated a group text with our kids, Ariel (vocalist) Alec (producer, rapper, beatboxer) and an electronic producer friend and within minutes, everyone said they were into the idea. It wasn’t even a week later that we started working on our production. Our very first track was called “Opening” to represent the beginning of the yoga class and it just took off from there. Visionary music festival and yoga festival curators liked and caught onto the idea and our vibe, those forward-thinking organizers took us on and we began to perform and teach at events. We have since continued to produce music, perform, and teach classes.

SB: How would you describe what you do to someone who’s unfamiliar with Drishti Beats?

DB: We are a live music vinyasa flow yoga class that produces EDM chill music and teaches yoga classes with our live music group on stage with us. Our music is very “now,” fresh, and has a great vibe. Our lyrics send positive messages with great beats and melodies.

SB: How does Drishti Beats incorporate yoga into its live sets?

DB: We begin with our class sequencing. We then choose what music tracks fit best into the class content and journey. Once the tracks are selected it goes back to our DJ/producer and he creates the mix. Once the mix is created he then prepares to mix all the tracks live on stage and our saxophonist, vocalist, rapper gets the mix so they can prepare for the live set as well. We then make sure that our yoga class coaching collaborates with the musicians and vocalists intertwining our coaching with their music, vocals, solos, etc. Once on stage, it becomes a timed delivery of musicianship with our coaching. The vocals in our music share inspirational messages along with our yoga coaching. It’s truly beautiful. Drishti is a Sanskrit term meaning: a focused and concentrated gaze. Our mantra is: “Where your Drishti goes your Energy Flows.”

SB: What style of yoga does Drishti Beats teach?

DB: Vinyasa Flow with some power elements. We believe in great rhythmical warm-ups in our flow to prepare the body for the class. We are all about flowing with the music. It is constant movement and a musical collaboration. The music is key as opposed to the music being the background that one may find in other yoga classes.

SB: How do you see yourself fitting into the yoga community in general?

DB: We fit in great. We teach without our musicians and performance-based class all the time. We have our own Drishti Yoga classes at our studios. We are always learning, growing, and teaching. In addition to Drishti Beats, we have our Drishti Yoga Teacher Training Institute where we facilitate our 200-hour Drishti Yoga Teacher Training. We love being a part of the yoga community.

SB: What is the mission behind Drishti Beats?

DB:To give students a beautiful and meaningful class journey allowing for a musical and mindful yoga class experience. To teach our trainees proper sequencing for success and allowing them to learn all the history, philosophy, anatomy, meditation, and flow that yoga has to offer. To teach how to live a yogic lifestyle and send beautiful messages with our music. To provide other musicians and teachers an opportunity to perform and teach with us so they can be heard.

SB: You recently had the opportunity to collaborate with CloZee. How did that happen? What was that like?

DB: CloZee is amazing. Our friend Matt who has helped grow the Drishti Beats yoga experience felt that one of our tracks would be a great track for CloZee to remix. We sent her the track and she jumped on it. It was just one of those great moments where our track fit into her vibe. She turned it around pretty quickly and the track, both the original and her remix took off. It was amazing to see the great response. We then went to LIB where she played a late afternoon set. The fourth track of her set was the remix and the audience was packed. It was surreal. The next day we met in person and have been friends ever since. Later that festival season, in 2016, we met again at Sonic Bloom festival and our Sax player Ricardo and Beat Boxer/Rapper Alec played live with her on stage and improved with her set. It was epic. We did the same thing again at Arise Festival. It was just an amazing experience to work with someone so talented, humble, and gracious. We will forever be grateful for CloZee believing in us.

SB: What was the best thing overall about 2017?

DB: 2017 was a great opportunity for us to grow into a more mature group. We really worked on nailing down our class and music selection. Spending mindful time as a group, in the studio allowed us to cultivate our sound. Working with the festivals that really understood our needs and what we are all about was a critical growth point for us in 2017. We aren’t just a band, or a DJ, or yoga teachers, but rather we are all three combined. In 2017 the festivals and events we worked with understood us, our needs and our concept. 2017 was awesome.

SB: What has been your favorite festival set to-date?

DB: Wow, that’s a tough one. I would have to say the festivals that took a chance on us and immediately “got us” would be my favorites. I am grateful for Mysteryland, both in the U.S. and the Netherlands, Sonic Bloom and Floyd Yoga Jam. For 2017 our most favorite set would have to have been Floyd Yoga Jam, in Floyd, VA. This is where we really hit both segments of what we do. The class was packed with yogis but simultaneously there were people dancing in the back just listening to our set and it was just legit as hell. LIB was, of course, magical and when we performed/taught we got the 75-degree day, total bliss.

SB: What are some exciting things that you’re planning for 2018 and beyond?

DB: Our goal is to grow as organically as possible. Yes, we push and focus on social, our website, and work hard to get our music out but we want to be mindful of it. Our time together as a group and in the studio is amazing and it just feels good to be together. We have a lot of new music coming out early 2018. Watch out for our new tracks being released in January and February, “It’s All Good” and “You Feel It Too.” Being a combination of yoga and music creates a unique mission. We know that our music is now worthy of a full set both DJ and as a band that may not incorporate yoga. Now that music festivals are moving more and more into “during the day” experiences that have yoga, we hope to be the “go to” group for yoga as it aligns perfectly with the festival scene. We can cover two spaces, yoga, and a live set without the yoga. Hopefully, 2018 will bring that to us.

SB: Is there anything else that you’d like your fans to know?

DB: We want people to know that our music is not only perfect for EDM Chill listening but also for yoga and we hope that yogis will add our music to their playlists to enhance their yoga class experience. We are all about delivering amazing yoga experiences and are grateful for those who have found us and love our music.